Pro Sports Blogging » Crystal Rosehttp://www.prosportsblogging.com
24/7 Real Sports TalkTue, 31 Mar 2015 16:43:46 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2FIFA President Apologizes, Goal Line Technology Reconsideredhttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/2010/06/30/fifa-president-apologizes-goal-line-technology-reconsidered/
http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2010/06/30/fifa-president-apologizes-goal-line-technology-reconsidered/#commentsWed, 30 Jun 2010 17:27:43 +0000Crystal Rosehttp://prosportsblogging.com/?p=9958If you haven’t heard the controversy about the bad calls this year by World Cup referees, you may be just as far behind in technology as the whole FIFA organization. At the top of the list of teams who are speculated to have been eliminated because of an obvious referee mistake is England, who scored [...]]]>

If you haven’t heard the controversy about the bad calls this year by World Cup referees, you may be just as far behind in technology as the whole FIFA organization.

At the top of the list of teams who are speculated to have been eliminated because of an obvious referee mistake is England, who scored a goal that bounced from the top post straight down into the goal. The ball was immediately swooped up and thrown out of the goal by the keeper from Germany. The closest referee was 10 yards down the line, and apparently he nor his assistant saw the goal and no goal was awarded. According to the cameras set up at the post, that ball was at least a foot behind the line. But, what the referee says is what goes, even if 40,000 people and a hundred cameras witnessed otherwise.

Heavy controversy is also surrounding fellow eliminated team Mexico, who is angry about the a goal scored against them from Argentina’s Tevez while he was clearly in offside position. Although the replays were shown across the stadium proving otherwise, the referee didn’t call the offside so the decision was made to allow the goal. (Since that instance of angry fans, FIFA has said they will now stop showing replays in the stands).

FIFA president Sett Blatter spoke to the press in a briefing on Tuesday, apologizing to the organizing bodies for England and Mexico and their soccer teams, saying there were mistakes made last Sunday in terms of officiating as both of those teams were eliminated. In the process of that apology, Blatter pointed to the future and the possibility of new technology coming into play.

In his statement, Blatter put it simply, “It is obvious after the experiences so far we have made in this World Cup, it would be a nonsense to not reopen the fighting for technology in the business meetings. The only principal were are going to bring back for discussion is the goal line technology.”

This statement doesn’t mean much for teams like Mexico (or the United States for that matter) who had blown calls against them due to fouls and offsides. It also won’t help the teams that had controversial red cards against their players and goal keepers. That element of the game will still be at the mercy of the referee, even if cameras from every angle prove the calls are bunk. But, by keeping the replays to a minimum we are still allowing for a naturally flowing game with good momentum and a healthy dose of human error. Controversy and debate is one element that keeps soccer alive. Without it there would be no press, no angry fans, and no passion.

Personally it pained me to see United States get the goal thrown out against Slovenia that nearly cost them a chance into the finals, with a call that was so unclear even the referee himself would not explain. But they persevered nonetheless and proved they were the better team in that match (and what a comeback!). As much as I wanted to write about it there seemed to be no point of yelling “no fair!” because they came back and proved they could get there either way. Taking a look at England, it was a shame that the goal was disallowed, but it wasn’t as if that disallowed goal made their fate. Germany cleaned up and proved to be the better team with a 4-1 win.

In the end when we look at who is sitting on top, it doesn’t have to do with one red card or one disallowed goal. It all comes down to one thing, right now, at this moment in history: which soccer team will beat the odds to go home with the World Cup.

]]>http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2010/06/30/fifa-president-apologizes-goal-line-technology-reconsidered/feed/5USA Eliminated From World Cuphttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/2010/06/26/usa-eliminated-from-world-cup/
http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2010/06/26/usa-eliminated-from-world-cup/#commentsSat, 26 Jun 2010 21:53:31 +0000Crystal Rosehttp://prosportsblogging.com/?p=9720The “Comeback Kings” of the 2010 World Cup nearly kept their title today, but were eliminated in overtime in a 2-1 game against Ghana. The Americans set up their reputation in group stage, with a late tie against England, a 3 goal comeback in the second half against Slovakia (although one goal was thrown out) [...]]]>

The “Comeback Kings” of the 2010 World Cup nearly kept their title today, but were eliminated in overtime in a 2-1 game against Ghana.

The Americans set up their reputation in group stage, with a late tie against England, a 3 goal comeback in the second half against Slovakia (although one goal was thrown out) and Landon Donovan’s now famous 90th minute goal on Algeria.

Today’s knockout round game started out with a goal by Ghana in the 5th minute, setting up the Americans for another game of catch-up. The US scored a goal in the second half and the game was forced into overtime.

Ghana scored their second goal in the first 15 minute block of overtime. The US was desperate but kept up the pace and had a lot of great opportunities at the goal but couldn’t sink it in. The game ended at 123 minutes. The USA says goodbye to the World Cup and Ghana advances to the final 8. As the only African team in the knockout rounds, the host nation must be looking to Ghana as the final hope to represent their continent, and today they delivered.

Americans should still be proud of the way the US performed, despite challenges stacked against them. We can hope the recognition will be high for US players and that America will keep their momentum for the next four years.

]]>http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2010/06/26/usa-eliminated-from-world-cup/feed/3World Cup Group Standingshttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/2010/06/25/world-cup-group-standings/
http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2010/06/25/world-cup-group-standings/#commentsFri, 25 Jun 2010 20:00:06 +0000Crystal Rosehttp://prosportsblogging.com/?p=9569The 32 teams competing at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa are broken into 8 groups (A through H). In the group stage, 2 teams from each group make it through to the next round of 16. Which countries were included this year, and who is making it through the group stage? Here is [...]]]>

The 32 teams competing at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa are broken into 8 groups (A through H). In the group stage, 2 teams from each group make it through to the next round of 16.

Which countries were included this year, and who is making it through the group stage? Here is a breakdown of the group standings.

﻿﻿2010 WORLD CUP GROUPS & STANDINGS

Group A:South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay*, France

Group B: Argentina*, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece

Group C: England, USA*, Algeria, Slovenia

Group D: Germany*, Australia, Ghana, Serbia

Group E: Netherlands*, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon

Group F:Italy, Slovakia, Paraguay*, New Zealand

Group G: Brazil*, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal

Group H: Spain*, Honduras, Chile, Switzerland

Strikethrough = Eliminated, Star (*) = Group Leader

]]>http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2010/06/25/world-cup-group-standings/feed/2France: C’est Fini?http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2010/06/18/france-cest-fini-2/
http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2010/06/18/france-cest-fini-2/#commentsFri, 18 Jun 2010 16:11:32 +0000Crystal Rosehttp://prosportsblogging.com/?p=9059So far, France has yet to score a goal this World Cup. Do Les Bleus have a shot at advancing to the next round? Chances are looking slim after their defeat by Mexico (2-0) and a goaless draw with Uraguay (0-0) but anything is possible. The match against Mexico seemed like it would have the [...]]]>

So far, France has yet to score a goal this World Cup. Do Les Bleus have a shot at advancing to the next round? Chances are looking slim after their defeat by Mexico (2-0) and a goaless draw with Uraguay (0-0) but anything is possible.

The match against Mexico seemed like it would have the same fate as the Uruguayan game, with an uneventful draw. France was looking like the better team in the first half, though still not put together as expected. France held their ground until the hour mark, when Mexico inched by on an offside trap and scored. France was left staring at the referee with arms in the air as they were sure the flag would put a stop to it mid-play. Mexico’s 2nd goal was a gift from the French, a free kick for a penalty on Abidal with a sliding-tackle foul in the box.

Are the current standings for France a result of innefectual coach Domenench? With players like Thierry Henry left to freeze on the bench there is a lot to be missed. Domenench stands by with no expression on his face, setting the mood for the energy shown by the team. France’s captain Patrice Evra has already lost hope.

“I’m still in shock after such a loss, we have behaved like a small football nation,” Evra said after the match against Mexico. “We have received a big punch and I couldn’t see it coming. The first goal was very painful but I thought we would be able to react, but we were not able to. We will talk about it during the following days. There is a lot to say but I’m not going to say it in public yet. I am disgusted. We have to beat South Africa now, but as for the qualification, I don’t believe in miracles. We are not a great team.”

France could advance on goal difference with a big victory over South Africa, if Mexico and Uruguay don’t draw. But this next match may have Mexico and Uruguay just holding on to defense: if they play for a 0-0 draw, they’re both through on 5 points, and au revoir to the French.

]]>http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2010/06/18/france-cest-fini-2/feed/3Switzerland Stuns and Spain Ends In Bloodhttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/2010/06/16/switzerland-stuns-and-spain-ends-in-blood/
http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2010/06/16/switzerland-stuns-and-spain-ends-in-blood/#commentsWed, 16 Jun 2010 19:18:40 +0000Crystal Rosehttp://prosportsblogging.com/?p=8927The World Cup Group H was thrown for a spin today in Durbin. Switzerland defeated Spain 1-0, making history for the Swiss and possibly forcing Spain into an elimination game on their next round. To make matters worse, this game ended a 12-game winning streak for Spain, with the Switzerland the victor (a team that [...]]]>

The World Cup Group H was thrown for a spin today in Durbin. Switzerland defeated Spain 1-0, making history for the Swiss and possibly forcing Spain into an elimination game on their next round. To make matters worse, this game ended a 12-game winning streak for Spain, with the Switzerland the victor (a team that had not been able to defeat Spain in their last 18 meetings).

You have to watch the replay of Switzerland’s goal at least 10 times to get a grasp on the chaotic finish. At first it seems as if Spanish goal keeper Diego Benaglio kicks it in himself on the dive. ESPN’s Robbie Mustoe described the goal against Spain a smash and grab raid. While it wasn’t the most graceful finish, Gelson Fernandes followed through from a messy pile up at the post that left the goal wide open.

The Swiss seemed to be only geared for defense in the first half, but even without leading striker Alexander Frei (out for injury) they showed strong offense and pulled off a win. The second half of the game was exciting, but Spain couldn’t land a mark or get past the wall of defense set up by Switzerland. Spain had 24 shots, and 8 on-target beautiful attempts, most ending with an unlucky bounce off the post.

Carl De Souza/Getty Images

Gerard Pique maybe become the posterchild for Spain on this World Cup, left bloody and bewildered after an unexpected defeat. The gash he carried on his cranium until the end was likely a result of a cleat to the head.

This leaves us for a very interesting day on June 25th, when both teams will again take the stage. Switzerland faces Honduras and Spain takes on Chile.

No team has ever won the tournament after losing the opening Match at the World Cup.